Knitting machine



1,634,874 y 1927' K. HOWIE KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Aug 6, 1924 2Sheets-Sheet l [I322 n 6212 Hazaa'e July 5', 1927. 1,634,874

K. HOWIE KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed Aug. 6. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2ff'nrzeik Howie Patented July 5, 1927. V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KENNETH HOWIE, 0F NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WILDMAN MFG.

CO., OF NOBRIS'I'OWN, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Original application flied August 6, 1924, Serial No. 730,462. Dividedand this application filed March 18, 1926. Serial No. 95,611.

The present specification is a division of that filed by me Aug. 6,1924, Serial Number 730,462, and concerns yarn changing mechanism for acircular knitting machine.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side view of a part of acircular knitting machine embodying the invention.

Figs. 1 and 1 are views of the cylinder cams.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with parts omitted.

Fig. 2 is a view of a detail, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view of part of the yarn changer mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a detail view.

The machine is a two-feed one and provided with cylinder and dialneedles .for making rib fabric, and it is of the stationary needlecarrier type. It is provided with the usual cams in the dial. Thecylinder needles are operated by cams in the rotary cam box when saidneedles are set into position to be engaged by said cams, this settingaction being performed by jacquard mechanism. Each cylinder needle has ajacquard connection leading thereto, whereby it is individuallycontrolled to knit or not to knit, accordlng as the pattern demands.

This jacquard mechanism is shown in part in Fig. 2 but as this forms nopart of the present case it is not necessary to describe it in detail.Suflicient to say that the group of mechanism designated generally bythe reference character B serves to control the cylinder needles of thesegment of the circle from B to B and there are three other groups ofsimilar jacquard mechanism each controlling one quarter of the cylinderneedles to make them operative or inoperative by allowing them to remaindown out of the path of the rotary cams or to raise them individuallyinto the path of said cams to be operated for performing their knittingoperations.

The machine is equipped with a main yarn feed F shown conventionally anda second yarn feed at which there is a yarn changmg mechanism. This yarnchanger feeds different colors to the needles of the rib machine.

The yarn changer comprises yarn fingers 44,. 45, pivotally mounted at 44to swing in a horizontal plane towards and from the needles. They areoperated by a striker cam A supported at a fixed point on the base ofthemachine, but adjustable vertically as hereinafter described to differentelevations to be in the path of travel of either one of the yarn changerfingers or the other.

The yarn changer fingers are pressed by springs, one of which is shownat 4:7 in an outward direction. When moved to their innermost positionsclose to the needles they are held in this position respectively byvertically movable detents 51 and 54, which are normally pressedupwardly by springs, one of which is shown at 55, Fig. 2. The yarnchanger fingers are provided with extensions or fingers 50, which, asthe fingers swing towards the needles, ride over the inclined upper endsof the detents and cause them to be pressed downwardly against thepressure of their springs, and until the said fingers free the detentsto allow them to move up back of the fingers and thus retain them inposition to hold the yarn fingers in feeding position.

The detents are retracted downwardly to release the yarn fingers byplungers 53.having bevelled inner ends to work against inclined surfaces54*- of the detents. These plungers are operated by the striker camsection I) attached to the cam A. but wide enough vertically to be inthe path of movement of said plungers at all times.

There is also a yarn cutter and clamping device C pivoted at 79 to swingvertically. The cutter blade C. which also forms a part of the yarnclamp, is operated by a lever 57, Figs. 2, 3 and 3 pivoted to a post 59and operated by a plunger 57 against the tension of the return spring 57bearing against the depending arm of the lever 57. The plunger 57 isoperated by a plunger 52, which is operated by the striker cam 72..

The yarn changer fingers, with their detents and plungers for operatingthe latter, and

the yarn cutters and clamp device, together with the lever and plungersfor operating said cutter and clamp, are all carried by a bracket 58attached to the rotary cam box of the knitting head to travel therewitharound the,needle circle.

Sequence of operations in changing yarn: First the tappet cam plate A islifted so that its projections a is in the path of the yarn finger 44,which is out of service. This yarn.

finger, by hitting the projection a, will be swung inwardly. A leafspring on the yarn finger is the immediate part which hits projection a.This yarn finger will now present its yarn to the needle, the final endof this yarn being held in the clamp and cutter C and remaining so untilthis new yarn is taken by the needles. As soon as this finger has beenset in all the way, the pin or projection 50 thereon is caught by thedetent 51 to retain the finger in this feeding position. The yarn finger45 which has been feeding continues in action, being still held by itsown detent.

The next thing that takes place as the machine rotates in the arrowdirection is that the push pin 52 hits the cam 6 connected with cam A tobe adjusted Vertically therewith, and the yarn clamp opens to releasethe new yarn end which has just been placed by finger 44: to be taken bythe needles and for receiving the other yarn which is now about, to bewithdrawn from the needles, cut and clamped, until called for again. Thenext action that takes place is the push pin 53 strikes the cam 12 andretracts detent pin 54 and this releases the yarn finger 45, which fliesto idle position under pressure of its spring 47 and withdraws its yarnfrom the needles. This yarn will now enter the shear and clamp. Thetappet cam plate A is cut away or recessed at c to receive the leafspring at the back of the operated yarn finger to relieve friction. Thecam edge has a high part at (i which maintains the yarn finger in itsfeeding position despite the fact that its detent has been retracted dueto the push pin traversing the edge of cam b. The clamp and cutter closeas soon as push pin 52 passes oil from the cam 79 at shoulder e and thewithdrawn yarn now remains clamped and held by the retracted yarn finger45.

As soon as the other push pins ride off from cam 72 at shoulder e theircorresponding detents snap up and are in position to hold that one ofthe fingers which is advanced to feeding position by engaging with itspin 50, it being understood that up to this time the feeding finger hasbeen held in feeding position by the cam edge d. The parts remain inthis position until the next change of yarn is to be made, for throwingin another color. i

The cam plate A is carried by a post adjustable vertically in a-bracket61 secured to the stationary base of the machine. The post has a pin 62overlying a pattern controlled lifting lever 63 pivoted at 64 to a fixedbracket 65 and having a finger 66 in the path of movement of projectionsor high and low links 67, 68 of the yarn changing pattern chain 69. Thischain passes over a sprocket wheel 70 journalled on a pin 71 of thebracket 65. The sprocket wheel is moved step by step by a pawl 7 2 on alever 73 pivoted at 74; to the fixed frame.

This pawl engages a ratchet wheel 75 connected with the sprocket wheel.The lever 73 is operated from a cam 7 6 carried by the gear. 24:" withinthe fixed base of the machine which rotates the cam box. A pin 77slidable in an opening in the base communicates movement from the cam tothe lever 73. The

lever is also pressed by a spring plunger 78.

\Vhen the high link 67 acts upon the linger 66 the lever 63 will raisethe post 60 and cam plate A to its upper limit, where it will be held bya detent 79 snapping under pressure of its spring 80 into the lowermostnotch 81 of the post and the cam plate will now be in line with theupper one of the yarn fingers, i. e. 44 to throw this inward to feedingposition by its cam point a acting against the leaf spring carried bysaid finger. The cam membenb which is'supported from the cam plate A byposts 82, 83, will also be raised to be in the path of the push pins, asabove described, to efiect the yarn change and the operation of thecutter and clamp.

As soon as the yarn changing mechanism gets past cam plate A, a striker84 fixed to the cam box will hit the detent 79 and relea'se it from thepost 60, which together with the cam plates A and b will fall to idleposition. When the next change of yarn is to take place the low link 68will operate lever 63 and raise the cam plate only part way, i. e. sothat the detent 7 9 will fall into the first or high notch 81, and thiswill hold the cam plate A in line with the lowermost one of the yarnfingers. The plate I) is wide enough to align with the push pins,whether raised all the way or only. part way up.

After the yarn changing has been efiected with the post raised only partway up, the detent 79 is released, as before, to allow the cam plates Aand b to drop to idle position, where they remain until the next yarnchange is to take place.

The cylinder cams are shown in Figs. 1 and l", and include a raising camf and a stitch cam g. The raising cam is'mounted on a block it slidablymounted in a recess m, formed in the cam box, and it is pressed by aspring a to normal position. The front end of the raising cam isinclined at 0 so that if for any reason a needle is misplaced and'itsbutt aligns with the point of this ca'm, it will strike the inclinedpart 0 and the cam will recede into its recess to allow the needle topass and thus avoid a jam. The spring it returns the cam block and camto normal position as soon as the misplaced needle passes it.

I claim:

1. In combination in a machine, move radially of the machine, a cam onthe circular knitting a pair of yarn fingers mounted to each fingerforholding itin yarn feeding position, cam means for operating the detentsto release the fingers, and means for returning the fingers tonon-feeding position when released by said detents, substantially asdescribed.

2. In combination with a circular knitting machine, a pair of yarn feedfingers for changing the yarn, a cam on the fixed base of the machine,means for raising said cam to be in the path of either oneor the otherof the yarn feed fingers, detents fof holding the fingers in feedingposition, push pins v for releasing said detents, a yarn clamp and fixedbase of the machine and adjustable to difi'erentelevations, a postcarrying said cam, means for raising the post, a detent for holding thepost in elevated position, and a striker rotating with the machine foroperating the detent 'to release the post, for lowering the said-cam,substantially as described. i

4, In combination with a ciroular'knitting machine, yarn changer fingerspivot-ally mounted to swing in diiferent horizontal planes, verticallymovable detents for holding the yarn fingers in feeding position, pushpins for releasing sa'id detent, a yarn cutter and clamp, a push pin foroperating the same, a vertically adjustable cam on the fixed frame withmeans for setting it in line with either one. yarn finger or the other,

a cam movable to be set in position together with the first mentionedcam for operating the push pins, and means for moving said cams,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

KENNETH HOWIE.

